Very tragic, to say the least. At least the residents of Denton had good warning about the approaching fire. The evacuation occurred well ahead of the fire. Our thoughts are with them.
This is excellent. Very atmospheric locations, with the wind sweeping across the plains. That trestle is awesome. It must take nerves of steel to go across that.
Thank you for the kind (and descriptive) words about the video! And yes, I believe you are right about the bridges. They tiptoe across all of the big ones very cautiously...
Missed getting to ride the dinner train in July 2020 but got a front row seat on 3001. Beautiful cinematography! The story goes that a dinner train guest from California asked about all the “tumbleweeds”. Turns out she had never seen a round hay bale before!
Not Kaitlynn, I am Grampa, I lived in Denton and all over central MT as a kid in the 50's and 60's. My father was a Milwaukee Extra Gang Foreman and my mother a gang cook. I have lived in western Washington now for 50 years. Seeing this gives me a home feeling, Wide open prairie and sky. I still remember that environment and miss it.
We're very happy we could bring you back! It is an incredible area for exactly the reasons you mentioned. The fact that these lines still exist (especially the MILW segment), is a testament to the many railroaders who have put in so much time and effort to keep it alive, even with very limited resources. Thank you for sharing your history and also your kind words, my friend.
I was invited inside a former Nickel Platte Road GP30 when it was pulling the Cincinnati Dinner Train. My Aunt Christine and Uncle Mike arranged with the owner of the train to let me climb on board the locomotive, and the engineer was kind enough to let test the throttle, ring the bell and blow the horn. The owner used my uncle's camera to take a picture of me on the front of the GP30. It was fun. I'll never forget that day.
Wow I'm glad I stumbled across your channel! Always love finding fellow railfans with narration like me. Well done, and I look forward to more content!
We’re happy that you found us! And yes, the CMR was made famous by Broken Arrow. It appears that Broken Arrow’s railroad scenes were filmed during the summer of 1995. The Central Montana was also featured in an episode of the television show “Man vs. Wild”. Thank you for watching the video.
Central and Northern Montana are often overlooked. It is very peaceful, and there are some hidden treasures to be found. Thank you very much for your comment, Chad.
Beautiful locations, superb camera work too, and you brought us a rural shortline I'd never even heard of before. The prairie looks beautiful in the summer months, but I'd guess it's hell on earth during the long northern winter. Brrrr. All power to you guys and the CMR!
You are awesome for making this comment! In all seriousness, thank you for the comment and the like, and hope you keep watching for more videos in the future!
It’s cool that you had the opportunity to ride that train. Not sure what happened to 1814’s original horn. Pretty sure what’s on it now is a replacement.
Nice... where else do you get to see GP30s and GP9s with long hoods forward? Here is a suggestion: You should cover the Sand Hills line in Nebraska. It parallels the UP main but is north of it. It is way out in the country and it carries BNSF coal trains and a few other trains. It is right up your alley... something different.
Just had your channel suggested by RUclips to me. Great video. Just enough narration, and excellent videography. I will check out your other videos. I guess the following pickup truck with what appears to be a water tank in the back is for fire control?
CMR 1814 is the train that almost "hit" Bear Grylls on Man vs Wild. There was an episode of him in Montana taking a pretty absurd decision of climbing up a bridge instead of the banks at the bridge's edges, and then choosing to walk through a narrow tunnel instead of bypassing it, outrunning a train (that bit is staged 100%). He then hops that train and gets into the cab.
Thank you for the cinema history! If I were filming a motion picture, I'd probably choose the CMR for my train scenes too. Such a scenic route with a great team of employees....
One of those units was featured, yes. Reading through the other comments, it may have been 1814. We'll have to watch that movie again to confirm. Thank you for the comment!
Your suspicions are correct, Steven. The GP9s were all former Burlington Northern. Before parting with them, the BN painted the units for the CMR, which explains the nearly identical paint scheme.
Well, yes and no. Nothing regular. Occasionally, a shipment of grain or liquid fertilizer moves. But that is not common. Luckily, the storage car business appears to be booming. Thank you for your interest in CMR and the video!
Exactly! We do believe BN painted the units for CMR, which would explain the nearly exact match of the design and number fonts. Thanks for the comment!
It's actually pretty good for a shortline railroad. They maintain the track to Class II standards. So your observation is absolutely correct. The only 10 mph is across the big bridges and through the curves between Hoosac and Danvers.
Hello, Tom. Well... yes and no. They do not have any regular customers. However, in season, they have been known to ship liquid fertilizer and specialty grains -just a few cars at a time. Their main business is, as you rightly observed, car storage. One of the trains in the video had a few empty liquid fertilizer tanks mixed in with the storage cars.
Yes, one that has beaten the odds and survived some pretty difficult challenges. Shortlines usually don't operate on bridges as impressive as the ones on CMR... Thank you for your comment!
Correct. They are no longer true GP30s. We referred to them as GP30 rebuilds due to that fact. Thank you for your comment and hope you enjoyed the video!
Roger that. Western Rail called these rebuilt GP30s either "GP38m-3" or "GP38-3m". I've seen both used. They look very much like a turbocharged unit, including the location of the exhaust, but looks can be deceiving... Thanks for your interest in the video and the CMR!
@@CVisionContributor I just watched this video again and I am truly amazed with this railroad and the scenery. Any chance of getting more footage of this railroad?
Great timing capturing this scene in Denton, as the Grain elevators were lost to a wildfire a few months ago.
Very tragic, to say the least. At least the residents of Denton had good warning about the approaching fire. The evacuation occurred well ahead of the fire. Our thoughts are with them.
This is excellent. Very atmospheric locations, with the wind sweeping across the plains. That trestle is awesome. It must take nerves of steel to go across that.
Thank you for the kind (and descriptive) words about the video! And yes, I believe you are right about the bridges. They tiptoe across all of the big ones very cautiously...
A Nice View Excellent Video
Thank you for watching, Darrel!
Thank you very much!
This video is great! Love the GP30s and GP9s very much.
Very happy that you liked it! Thank you for the comment.
Found you
@@West_Cascade_Rail no you don't.
Missed getting to ride the dinner train in July 2020 but got a front row seat on 3001. Beautiful cinematography!
The story goes that a dinner train guest from California asked about all the “tumbleweeds”. Turns out she had never seen a round hay bale before!
Thank you very much! And thanks for sharing. That's a funny story about the hay bales!
Not Kaitlynn, I am Grampa, I lived in Denton and all over central MT as a kid in the 50's and 60's. My father was a Milwaukee Extra Gang Foreman and my mother a gang cook. I have lived in western Washington now for 50 years. Seeing this gives me a home feeling, Wide open prairie and sky. I still remember that environment and miss it.
We're very happy we could bring you back! It is an incredible area for exactly the reasons you mentioned. The fact that these lines still exist (especially the MILW segment), is a testament to the many railroaders who have put in so much time and effort to keep it alive, even with very limited resources. Thank you for sharing your history and also your kind words, my friend.
I was invited inside a former Nickel Platte Road GP30 when it was pulling the Cincinnati Dinner Train. My Aunt Christine and Uncle Mike arranged with the owner of the train to let me climb on board the locomotive, and the engineer was kind enough to let test the throttle, ring the bell and blow the horn. The owner used my uncle's camera to take a picture of me on the front of the GP30. It was fun. I'll never forget that day.
Those kind of memories will always be with you. I remember several of my younger train adventures. Thank you for sharing!
@@CVisionProductions1 My pleasure!
Wow I'm glad I stumbled across your channel! Always love finding fellow railfans with narration like me. Well done, and I look forward to more content!
And we appreciate people like you enjoying our content! Thank you for the comment.
Fantastic gotta love Geeps
Thank you! And yes, CMR's power is one of the many reasons that the railroad is so interesting.
This is a beautiful area of the country and watching trains there is perfect. Thanks for sharing
We couldn't agree more! Thank you for your comment!
From Palmer Lake Co. Nice to see ex-Rio Grande GP30 3001 still in service, and looking great! Great video, Thanks!
We were excited to find out the heritage of that locomotive as well! Happy that Western Rail and CMR were able to give it a new lease on life!
Wow, what a beautiful place to photograph trains.
It truly is! Thank you.
I was on my way back from Alaska in 2001, and stopped and photographed 1814 sitting by the depot in Geraldine, MT.
Thanks for the great video!
Thank you, James! Glad that you enjoyed it. Also, sounds like you had a great trip back in 2001!
Montana big sky awesome video open country land frieght train hauling tank cars weather is nice on west coast keep it coming friend bless you
Thank you for your well wishes and comments, Craig! We will attempt to continue putting out these types of videos into the future.
Great work
Thank you!
The 1996 action classic Broken Arrow brought me here! 😎
We’re happy that you found us! And yes, the CMR was made famous by Broken Arrow. It appears that Broken Arrow’s railroad scenes were filmed during the summer of 1995. The Central Montana was also featured in an episode of the television show “Man vs. Wild”. Thank you for watching the video.
That's truly God's country out there. Beautiful
Central and Northern Montana are often overlooked. It is very peaceful, and there are some hidden treasures to be found. Thank you very much for your comment, Chad.
Outstanding shots……..love that GP9👍
Thank you very much! And yes, CMR's GP9s are so, so neat.
It's not every day you see GP30s leading and GP9s pushing on an ethanol train, on 85lb MILW rail. Great video.
Yes, sir! It is a very special operation. Thank you for the comment.
Great video and awesome train catches beautiful scenery too, greetings from New Jersey.
We're happy you liked it! Makes it worthwhile to have people like you enjoying it. Greetings from the Twin Cities!
Another excellent video. Less talk, and more peaceful serene views that look as though they came out of a John Ford Western, that's the combination.
Thank you!!!
Outstanding quality! Beautiful scenery.
Many thanks!
Beautiful railroad
It sure is! Thanks for watching!
This is excellent. No one gets out there.
Thank you, Jerry! It's a somewhat remote area with few alternatives if your mission fails. But well worth the reward if you succeed.
Beautiful locations, superb camera work too, and you brought us a rural shortline I'd never even heard of before. The prairie looks beautiful in the summer months, but I'd guess it's hell on earth during the long northern winter. Brrrr. All power to you guys and the CMR!
Thank you, Rich! You are correct. Beautiful summers there, but long, cold winters with a lot of wind. We’re happy that you enjoyed the video.
A very good video and thanks for sharing it!
Thank you, and you're very welcome!
superb video.
just started to do a model railroad of montana.
In cascade.
so nice to find some refrence material.
cheers
Glad you liked it, and happy this video was of some assistance to you!
Good stuff !
Thank you very much! Glad you liked the video.
So nicely done!
Thank you, Ken! Glad you enjoyed the video.
Cool truck they’re using as a hirail.
We thought so too! Thank you for the comment, sir.
awesome video liked 🚄🚄👍
You are awesome for making this comment! In all seriousness, thank you for the comment and the like, and hope you keep watching for more videos in the future!
CMR 1814 was the power for the Charlie Russel Chew Choo (or whatever choo/chew it was) that I rode on. Its horn was the saddest horn I've ever heard.
It’s cool that you had the opportunity to ride that train. Not sure what happened to 1814’s original horn. Pretty sure what’s on it now is a replacement.
Nice railfan from Boston
Hello! Nice to have you.
And jointed rail. They got everything cool.
Yep! The whole line is jointed rail. Looked like 75-90 pound.
Very cool train and a very cool shot, well done you have my like and sub. Greetings from Zimbabwe:)
And greetings back to you from Minnesota! Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment!
This video inspired me to make my current Trainz route!
Glad to hear it! This line is very interesting, in many respects.
Me too, haha
Man, they don't call it Big Sky Country for nothin'!!
Lots of wide open spaces and beautiful country out there. Truly a great place to be. Thank you for your comment!
If you haven't been, you should absolutely make it a point to get yourself up there. Heaven on earth as far as I'm concerned
Nice... where else do you get to see GP30s and GP9s with long hoods forward? Here is a suggestion: You should cover the Sand Hills line in Nebraska. It parallels the UP main but is north of it. It is way out in the country and it carries BNSF coal trains and a few other trains. It is right up your alley... something different.
Thank you, Steve! And yes, that line may be covered in the future. We appreciate the suggestion!
What’s the next show that has Central Montana?
Short Lines and Passenger Trains in the Rocky Mountains!
CMR does operate passenger trains, so that could work!
Very interesting 👌 👍 🤔 😊
Thanks for visiting
The GP30 was the 567’s finest hour. There’s a reason why they’re still rebuilding them.
And their look was so unique! They don't make 'em like they used to... Thank you for the comment.
The paint remains me of the Burlington northern
Yes, it is basically the old BN paint scheme with blue used instead of green. It's quite attractive! Thank you for your comment!
i always wanted to run a bunch of cargo trains, on the graveyard shift into the peaceful darkness, into the morning, when the sun comes up.
Not much nighttime operation on CMR. But yes, I'm guessing your dream is shared by many. Thanks for the comment!
Just had your channel suggested by RUclips to me. Great video. Just enough narration, and excellent videography. I will check out your other videos. I guess the following pickup truck with what appears to be a water tank in the back is for fire control?
Thank you for the view and the subscription! That tank either carried water or some type of herbicide. We did not inquire about it.
CMR 1814 is the train that almost "hit" Bear Grylls on Man vs Wild. There was an episode of him in Montana taking a pretty absurd decision of climbing up a bridge instead of the banks at the bridge's edges, and then choosing to walk through a narrow tunnel instead of bypassing it, outrunning a train (that bit is staged 100%). He then hops that train and gets into the cab.
Thank you for the cinema history! If I were filming a motion picture, I'd probably choose the CMR for my train scenes too. Such a scenic route with a great team of employees....
The Same 1814 was used in the film Broken Arrow in 1996
ruclips.net/video/N1CLaoM6woQ/видео.html
GP9’s running Southern-style. That’s what I’m talking about.
It was quite interesting to see. Those ex GN GP9s are set up to run like that. Thank you for the comment!
i see a movie star in this vid, CMR 1814, she was seen pulling a freight train carrying a stolen nuclear warhead in the 1996 movie Broken Arrow
We may have to watch that movie again! Thank you for the information and the comment!
@@CVisionContributor no problem
@@anitajohnson3200 Also that same train was featured on Man vs Wild.
@@NewBuildmini link ?????
@@NewBuildmini thanks
Great video! Are those GP30s non-turbo'd? Hard to tell from the video's audio. I read somewhere online that they are internally GP38s. -Drayton
Yep, sure are. Very interesting units. Thank you for your inquiry, Drayton!
Yes they are Drayton I saw the rebuild that Western Rail did
GP9 Locomotives Former BN(GN)
And they certainly look very BN-like... Pretty cool units!
Still have their S3K horns as well!
You got that right! 1810 is a gem.
ace.
Thank you for commenting!
I think gp9 1810 is famous for being in the film brokenarrow
One of those units was featured, yes. Reading through the other comments, it may have been 1814. We'll have to watch that movie again to confirm. Thank you for the comment!
That rail corridor is in excellent condition. I bet they were in much worse condition at startup of each line and needed a lot of rebuilding.
We believe that to be correct. CMR has done quite a bit of track work over the years. Thank you for the comment.
That is a very distinct Burlington Northern-esque paint scheme. Coincidence?
Your suspicions are correct, Steven. The GP9s were all former Burlington Northern. Before parting with them, the BN painted the units for the CMR, which explains the nearly identical paint scheme.
Another train - oh my...
1810 looks like a BN paint scheme in blue instead of green.
That’s exactly what it is. They picked a nice shade of blue to replace the green, although BN green is always in style.
Do they still have any active freight customers?
Well, yes and no. Nothing regular. Occasionally, a shipment of grain or liquid fertilizer moves. But that is not common. Luckily, the storage car business appears to be booming. Thank you for your interest in CMR and the video!
Isn't 1814 the locomotive they used in the movie Broken Arrow?
I do believe you are right. I have seen others reference 1814 as being that unit. Thank you for the interesting information!
The paint scheme is like bn cascade green only it's blue instead
Exactly! We do believe BN painted the units for CMR, which would explain the nearly exact match of the design and number fonts. Thanks for the comment!
Thinking its a S3K because it doesn't have that harsh squeak that the RS Chambers make when air is first put through the horn
Either way, it sounded amazing!
@@CVisionContributor Very much so
Were the helpers working in DPU mode under remote control, or were they crewed?
There was another engineer running the helpers. Quite the interesting operation!
That track appears to be in very good shape. Not much car rocking.
It's actually pretty good for a shortline railroad. They maintain the track to Class II standards. So your observation is absolutely correct. The only 10 mph is across the big bridges and through the curves between Hoosac and Danvers.
None turbo GP30s lol. I wonder what the model designation is for them after being rebuilt and losing the turbo.
Something like "GP38-3m". It's basically whatever you want it to be at this point. Thank you for the comment!
The model designation of rebuilds is just made up by whoever does the rebuild.
Looks like the r r that was in that John Travolta movie Broken Arrow. Is that correct?
Correct!
I think 1206 is now a high hood that horn
Thank you for the comment!
Just curious... looks like there is a lot of car storage going on. Do they have other customers?
Hello, Tom. Well... yes and no. They do not have any regular customers. However, in season, they have been known to ship liquid fertilizer and specialty grains -just a few cars at a time. Their main business is, as you rightly observed, car storage. One of the trains in the video had a few empty liquid fertilizer tanks mixed in with the storage cars.
It’s the Burlington northern but blue
The only difference to the actual design on the GP9s vs BN's scheme is the CMR lettering underneath the cab window. Pretty cool, huh?!
Would LOVE to know what shade of blue that is!
@@jamesblair8436 The dark Blue looks close to Montana Rail Link, not sure about the lighter blue.
@@redbarnz The lighter blue is probably just the same colour that's faded in the sun.
This is a shortline?!?!?!
Yes, one that has beaten the odds and survived some pretty difficult challenges. Shortlines usually don't operate on bridges as impressive as the ones on CMR... Thank you for your comment!
Old great northern color
A little Great Northern heritage on that branch line between Moccasin and Kingston, for sure!
They aren’t GP30’s, they are GP38’s with GP30 carbodies
Correct. They are no longer true GP30s. We referred to them as GP30 rebuilds due to that fact. Thank you for your comment and hope you enjoyed the video!
@@CVisionContributor so these are no longer turbos?
lol, disregard my question.
Roger that. Western Rail called these rebuilt GP30s either "GP38m-3" or "GP38-3m". I've seen both used. They look very much like a turbocharged unit, including the location of the exhaust, but looks can be deceiving... Thanks for your interest in the video and the CMR!
@@CVisionContributor I just watched this video again and I am truly amazed with this railroad and the scenery. Any chance of getting more footage of this railroad?
Do these scab Railroads pay into Railroad Retirement ?
Most do. Not certain about CMR. They have a unique operating structure due to being a non-profit entity.